Put Mum On The Phone!
by MobMotherScitah
Summary: Sniper, named Jon, struggles through some memories during a phone conversation. Sniper/OC One Shot. T4Language


_One of perhaps a series of One Shots for the TF2 guys… _

_Had this idea while making Ramen at like 2:30 this morning… _

_It's now 5:07 as I write this… So it's taken me considerable time. _

_Each one will be Hetero, because I get uncomfortable writing anything else… _

_I can write homosexual flirtations, but when it becomes really mushy, _

_I have troubles and need an RP Buddy to help me through it. _

_Ah well, right? _

_I also did this because it seems everyone writes either _

_homosexual TF2guy(x)TF2guy… _

_That kinda bothers me. But whatever. _

_Enjoy. _

_- Scitah_

* * *

Sniper sighed as his father finally handed the phone over to his mother. "Mum?"

"Jon." she responded, only it wasn't his Mother's voice.

Sniper paused, voice stuck on the gasp in his throat. He coughed a moment, "Marie?"

"Yeh. Been a while, hm?" she said uncertainly.

Sniper was suddenly depressed at the memories, "Yeah."

There was silence between them for a while. Sniper wanted to say so many things he just didn't know where to start.

She inhaled and sighed, sounding disappointed and fed up. Was she waiting for him like she said she wouldn't? "Jon… Listen… I have to go soon… I can't stay on the phone listening to y'breath."

"Wait! Wait! I… I-I got so much to say to you I dunno what to say first-"

She chuckled, "Start with the loudest thought… I always tell you that but you never seem to listen."

He let out a nervous laugh himself, "Well… Th'loudest right now is… I miss you like hell."

There was this silence from her save for this slight inhale of her holding her breath.

"An', I know I did wrong by you and I messed up bad… I know. And I wish you'd have let me explain…" he listened as she sounded like she sniffed.

"Then now is as good a time as any, Jon." she said, voice creaking and cracking.

"I've been alone all my life, Marie. When I was growin' up, I didn't enjoy hangin' with the other kids, I didn't like parties… Nuthin'. So, when you came into my life, much to my folks' joy-" he cracked a grin, hearing the small laugh on the other end, "Naturally, I didn't know how to behave. I let you take the reins and left it all on you. I thought that just by being a Hunter - Of many things - that it'd help pay for the house and the bills and everything. But it didn't work like I figured it would. It broke our relationship because I didn't understand what a relationship really was. But, being where I am now, and lookin' back on it, I think I understand it better."

She'd crumbled and was quietly sobbing, "Oh Jon…"

"What I really want to say after that long explanation is that, Marie, I'm sorry for bein' such an idiot. I'm sorry for hurtin' you like that. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair." he paused again, listening to her sob over the phone. It broke his heart to hear it, "Sheila… Marie. I love you. I think of you all the time. I can't help it. Do you know how distracting you are to me?" he joked again.

He was rewarded with another broken laugh from the crying woman.

That is, until her heard, "Mum? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Elly." she said, muffled. Her voice became clearer, "Jon. I want you to speak to someone very important to me and hopefully, she'll be important to you as well…"

"Wot?" he whispered as the phone was handed over. Silence greeted him, "Hello?"

"… Hi. My name is Elly. Mum says you're my dad?" came a soft and child-like voice. It sounded young and innocent… She didn't let Jon get a word in. "I'm almost 8-years-old! Mum said that would help you speak… Or remember…"

It'd been almost eight years since their last argument…

He was sitting in their attic. They'd moved into Marie's late parents' home to start together. He was testing out his new scope when a noise startled him. He spun and aimed at a shocked brunnette. Panting, he realized it was only Marie.

"Fuck!" she shouted, hand over her heart while the other held eggs and bacon.

"Damnit Marie…" he whispered out, setting his gun down on the closed case on top of the opposite chair. "Scared the hell out of me!"

Her paled face quickly flushed with anger, "I scared-I scared you?" she shook her head and stepped forwards, "I thought my boyfriend was going to shoot me! I was the one about to get shot, Jon. Not you!"

"Babe-I was just on a rough job where some ass did sneak up on me!" he was aboutto say ore, but she beat him to it.

"I want you to quit."

That stopped the conversation for a moment.

"Quit. Quit what? This isn't some part time job, Marie. This is my career." he argued.

Her brown eyes glared at him. "I don't care what you call it, I want you to quit. Stop killing people." her arms crossed.

"Why? It's what I'm good at!" he shouted defensively.

"So then hunt animals or become part of the response team that handles tranquilizing the renegade and dangerous animals that get into the city! It's still hunting!" she growled back.

He shook his head with a frown, "No. It isn't the same. I'd go insane doin' that. I got patience, just not that much! And what would I do in the meantime? Work in an office like your cousin?"

"Don't mock Bob! You promised you wouldn't!" she shrieked. Her cousin was a poor guy with a lame name and a terribly boring life that seems to go nowhere. In his late forties and still a virgin.

He chuckled, "How can I not when you're telling me to quit?"

She growled and smacked him hard, nearly sending him out of his chair. "Don't!"

He frowned at her, "What the hell was that for?"

"You know why, Jon!"

"Then explain why you want me to quit? I get paid a lot just to shoot someone in the head! What's so wrong with that?"

"A lot. You're nearly never home! And when you are, you spend most of your time 'improving'." she air quoted. "Not to mention, you've said it yourself, the 'job' is dangerous and you could die!"

He scoffed, "I gotta be top of th'game, Marie! I gotta stay fit for it. And of course the job is dangerous, I kill people!"

"UGH!" she placed both her hands over her face, and collected herself a moment. She stood there and Jon became worried until she inhaled deeply and let her hands fall back down. "Jon. You have to make a choice now."

"Wot?" he whispered in shock.

"You mus choose between me or killing people. If you don't choose me, I'm packing your bags and you're leaving." she was serious?

"You can't be serious?"

"I can't do this anymore. I want my boyfriend, not some guy who pops in for a meal every other day!"

"You are serious! Damnit Marie." he sighed. This was not going to end well.

"Choose wisely, Jon. For one option will keep you alone while the other will allow you to grow a family and be normal for once in your life."

"Now that's not fair, Marie."

"Fuck you! Not fair is moving in with your boyfriend and then always sleeping alone! Save for about two months ago before he almost got killed! Not FAIR is having to realize that your boyfriend, the man you love is a killer and places himself in danger constantly because it's 'what he's good at'!" she panted a moment after her shouts. "Not fair is loving a man who couldn't care less."

Shock engulfed Jon, "What? Of course I care! I love you, Marie! You know that!"

"Do I? What have you done? What! Have you done to prove it to me lately?" she shouted angrily. Her voice caused the window to slam shut and knock into the gun case, denting it and sending his rifle to the attic floor.

That was it. "What the hell is wrong with you? Damnit Marie! Do you know how much this cost? Do you understand that this is by extension part of me?" oh, he was livid. "Y'always have to respect the gun! ALWAYS!" he picked up and cradled the gun to his chest, "You don't understand, Marie! And you never will! This is my livelihood here! Get the fuck out of my face!"

Her face was a mix of shock, anger, and heartbreak. After a short couple of cycles, it rested in between angry and heartbroken. Reaching back, she smacked the other side of his face and ran over the long forgotten plate of breakfast the way Jon liked it. She rushed down the stairs and slammed the door, leaving Jon to quickly regain his head.

"M-Marie!" he called after her, but it was too late, he knew, and she'd locked herself in their room, then the master bathroom. "Damnit." he sighed, upset. "What have I done?"

He paced for a long time, eventually falling asleep on a dusty old couch. When he woke, there was a note on the attic door before he opened it. "Jon. Your things are on the porch." It wasn't signed, but then again, it didn't need to be.

His knees gave out and he landed hard on the stairs. His heart broke there, with the end of that informal note. That was a few weeks before he signed up to fight.

"Yeah… Been nearly eight years since I saw Marie… Er, yer Mum." he let the tears well, but he didn't know what to say to Elly… His daughter. The idea of Marie cheating wasn't possible. Marie wasn't much of a sociable person… The only men she really didn't mind speaking to were her cousin Bob, Jon's father, and Jon. Other than that, she didn't really like men. One of the things that drew the two together.

"Mum says that even though you never knew about me, you would love me anyways because you have a good heart." she said, sounding like she was fed half the line.

Jon nodded. When he realized she couldn't see that, he attempted to clear the cry in his throat and speak, but when he attempted to say something, he let out a sob.

"W-What's wrong? What did I say?" Elly panicked. Her mother was sobbing on one end and her supposed father was doing the same on the other. After a short panic, she began to cry as well, at a loss and feeling guilty. She felt as if she were the cause of their crying.

Jon chuckled, "Oh, hush now, Elly." he said shakily. When he heard her shakily inhale and utter some affirmative syllable, he continued, stronger now, and uplifted. "Your mum was right. She always is. Remember that, Sheila."

"O-Okay… Dad." and when she said that, he nearly broke down again.

"Put your mum back on the phone." he said softly.

"Alright. Bye dad."

"Love you, Elly." he responded with warmth.

There was a silence until someone cleared their throat, "Jon." It was Marie.

"I love you. My time here is almost done, so I'll be back in at most three years and the least being two." he explained, "But, when I return, I'm gonna do what you said I should in the first place. I'm ready now… Especially with Elly."

"This is fantastic news, Jon. You have no idea how happy you just made me…" she ended with a whisper. Tell-tale signs of future tears and sobs.

"Marie? H-how come you never said anything? How come mum and dad never said anything?" he asked.

"I wasn't ready for you to know. I begged them not to tell you… To never mention that I came over to let them see Elly as she grew up. Mum's made an excellent book for you for when you come home, Jon." she paused to recollect herself, "She's beautiful, Jon. Stick like you, though." she laughed.

Jon snorted his own laughter. "Marie?"

"Yeah, Jon?"

"I gotta get on the road to make it back…"

"Alright. I understand."

They paused for a long while. "Marie?" he asked again.

"Yes, Jon?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

_Lemme know what you thought_.

_I always appreciate feedback. _

_- Scitah_


End file.
